The proliferation of cameras and camcorders, especially within smart phones, has resulted in many people having a camera on them at all times. In many instances, a user will sporadically capture videos and still photographs with their camera at various times during one event (e.g. a birthday party, a tourist attraction, a sporting event, etc.). All of the video clips and still photographs typically stay on the user's camera as separate individual files until, at some later time, the user downloads the video clips and still photographs to a personal computer or loads them into a mobile video editing application one at a time. Even after downloading the video clips and still photographs to a personal computer, the video clips and still photographs are still saved as separate, individual files.
If the user would like to collectively view all of the video clips and still photographs from one event, the user is required to install and learn how to use a picture/video compilation program in order to combine the pictures and videos into one seamless, edited presentation. Further, some users prefer to include titles, credits, music backgrounds, video filters and transitions within their video/photographs compilations. This requires the user to further learn and edit the individual files on their personal computer or mobile device consuming both the user's time and effort. Since for many users there is no easy way to combine all of the pictures and videos captured from one event, the video clips and still photographs will usually remain separate files, never to be easily viewed as one presentation.
With camcorders and mobile cameras, a user may record and save multiple, usually limited-length, video clips and still photographs. The videos clips and photographs are usually saved directly to memory within the camcorder or mobile camera and comprise associated metadata specifying the length, time and date the video clip or photograph was recorded. With camcorders, a user may record and save multiple video clips. Further, a user may record, pause and resume recording at a later time.
Referring to FIG. 1, a representation of a video clip from a current mobile video camera/camcorder according to the prior art is illustrated. The video clip of FIG. 1 illustrates how prior art mobile video camera/camcorders store and present multiple video clips. As shown in FIG. 1, the multiple video clips are saved and stored as separate files in memory of the prior art mobile video camera/camcorders. Therefore, if a user would like to create a composition of an event, they would be required to download and edit the various video clips on a personal computer.
Referring to FIG. 2, a representation of a video clip from a current video camcorder according to the prior art is illustrated. The video clip of FIG. 2 illustrates how prior art video camcorders store and present multiple video clips. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple video clips are saved and stored as a continuous video file with basic jump cuts automatically inserted in between the separate files. Therefore, as noted above, in order for the user of an existing prior art camera/camcorder to create a finalized composition of video clips and/or photographs with transitions, music backgrounds, filter, etc., the user is required to download all the files to a personal computer and use video/photograph editing software to create a finalized composition.
Prior art cameras and camcorders do not allow for a user to insert a title, credits, volume-mixed music backgrounds, or transitions before between or after their pictures and video clips as they are being recorded. Therefore, in order for the user to combine all the pictures and video clips from a specific event (e.g. a birthday, a holiday, a vacation) and to include a title, credits, music and/or transitions, the user must download all the pictures and video clips to a personal computer installed with a picture/video compilation program, and manually edit the selected pictures and video clips on the personal computer to create a finished video. This requires the user to own and learn how to use the video compilation program in order to create one extended video summarizing an event. Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus that can automatically combine multiple pictures and videos clips together with transitions, filters, music backgrounds, titles, and credits, using a camera/camcorder as the pictures and videos are being recorded.
Further, there exists prior art applications, such as iMovie® for the iPhone®, that enable a user to edit their individual video clips and still photographs into a final composition on a mobile device. However, prior art applications require that the user exit the editing timeline and enter a separate camera mode in order to record a single video clip or still photograph. Without a constant live preview of the event, users often miss an important moment they would like to record while they are switching back and forth between the camera mode and editing timeline mode. Therefore, there exists a need for an application that allows the user to create a final composition of multiple video clips and still photographs without having to exit the camera/camcorder function of the application, and thus allows the user to capture any moment that may arise while they are also simultaneously creating a composition with seamlessly added transitions, filters, music, titles and credits.